My Cherry Blossom
by Sincynati
Summary: Sakura can't understand Lee's complete fascination with her... and yet he continues to amaze her. A series of Lee/Sakura oneshots. Uncompleted. :
1. Pendant

Okie dokie! :D I felt like posting this, so I did:) Yes, the title is sappy. But really, what do you expect from Lee? :)

This _My Cherry Blossom_ 'Fic' is really just a series of one-shots of Lee/Sakura- not really needing to be read in any particular order (though considering my ideas, it's not a bad idea), and only being updated when I feel like writing Lee/Sakura. :) But since I have a few ideas racing in my mind, it'll probably be updated roughly about every other week or so. :) I'd love it if you read and reviewed :)

All of the one-shots take place during the time skip.

**Disclaimer: **Oh, yes, I am Masashi Kishimoto, and I completely and totally own Naruto. I also came up with Lee/Sakura. I live in Japan and I obviously speak amazing English as well. If you believe this, I'll give myself a cookie for being so convincing. :)

Enjoy-

* * *

**Pendant**

The shop wasn't busy at all, in fact, it was completely empty. The owner had disappeared into the back room, leaving Rock Lee to browse the rows and rows of gems and jewels alone.

Not like he minded at first, in fact, he felt immensely pleased that his reputation allowed other people to trust him enough to leave him unsupervised in a shop. How youthful! But, after a half hour of browsing unsupervised, Lee had finally found the item of his choice...and couldn't open the case to take it out.

Rock Lee smiled to himself, unfazed by the fact that, obviously (since the cases were locked) the shop owner _didn't_ trust him. Instead, he smiled and muttered something about how the Power of Youth was still compelling people to stay safe. How wonderful!

Lee vaguely wondered what was taking the shopkeeper so long, and decided he would do some stretches in the while he waited. After all, a man had to be well rounded- excitable, yet patient. At least, that was what Gai-sensei told him. Patience was key.

That's how Tsumero Riji found him a half hour later, stretched out on her floor as though he was dead.

"Aiiii!" She rushed to his side and started hitting his chest, trying to rouse the unconscious (or so it seemed) youth.

"What- what is the matter?" Rock Lee jumped up in a flash. "Stay back- whatever it is, it may not be safe for civilians!"

Instead, the elderly woman looked up at Lee distastefully. "What where you doing, sprawled out onto my floor like that? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Lee suddenly looked very remorseful. "I am sorry, Tsumero-san. I decided I would stretch while waiting for you to come out, thus strengthening my patience. Very sorry if I frightened you..."

She glared at him instead of taking his apology.

Lee lowered his head, "I found something I would like to purchase," he said in a meek voice.

At the prospect of making money out of this boisterous fool, the woman immediately plastered on a smile. "Oh, really?"

Lee, seeing that finally the woman had found the Power of Youth, spread a smile across his face. "Yes! It is for someone special!" He pointed to a pendant, shaped strategically to filter light through the crystal petals, accentuating its color.

"The Cherry Blossom pendant?" The woman asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Yes! It is for someone special!"

Riji ignored the repetitive fool and took a chain of keys out of her apron pocket. After a minute or so of fingering the keys and trying different ones, she finally unlocked the case in which the pendant laid. "You do know it costs a hefty bunch, don't you?"

"Yes, but it is for someone special! Name your price!"

Riji sighed and looked at the price taped right above the pendant. "Oh, let's say several thousand yen."

The boy's eyes goggled in amazement. "Wow... that's a lot. "

Now the woman was irritated. This boisterous, repetitive, obvious fool was definitely the most interesting- and most annoying- customer she had in a while. "Can you pay for it or not? "

Lee hesitated. He had lots of money saved from little missions here and there, but having a couple thousand yen was pushing it. "I- I am not sure."

"Well, the sign there says no loitering, so don't expect me to let you stick around to count on your fingers," the woman snapped.

If it had been anyone else, they would of been offended and might not of bothered making sure at all- just walked on out the door. But this was Rock Lee, student of the amazing Gai-sensei- and he was trained to take insult to injury (despite being old, the lady sure could hit hard).

"Uh... yes! I can pay for it!" Lee proclaimed, not sure if he was lying or not. They would find out soon enough.

With another long sigh, Riji led the way to the counter, where Lee watched in fascination as the woman wrapped the pendant carefully into a bag.

Lee reached into his backpack, drawing out a large jar full of coins.

"... You want me to count all that up?"

"No, no, I can do that!" Lee said excitedly. A chance to improve his mathematical skills!

After a very long five minutes, Lee proudly presented the amount of yen needed for the pendent, leaving just enough for a cheap box to accompany the necklace with.

With a satisfied grunt, Riji gave him the bag with the precious pendant and a small box to present it to his "special person" with.

"Why anyone would be interested in you," the woman mused while Lee turned to leave, "I have no idea."

Rock Lee's face fell. "She is not interested in me. " He admitted. "But no matter how much she ignores me, I will always be right behind her!"

"Well, that's not scary." Riji stated.

Her sarcasm didn't register in Lee's ear. "No, it isn't, because it means I can catch her when she falls!" With a especially youthful jump into the air, Lee raced out of the store, running to find his beloved Cherry Blossom.

-/-/-/-

It was odd, how Rock Lee would show up in the weirdest moments, whenever she needed something to lift her spirits. Like now.

"Sakura!" He cried in that cheerfully annoying way of his. He was obviously hiding something behind his back, but Sakura pretended not to notice.

"Um, hey Lee." Sakura acknowledged, dangling her feet over the edge of the bench.

"It is very late now.."

_Captain Obvious,_ Sakura thought to herself with an eye roll. "Yeah..."

"Uh, what are you doing out here?"

"I could ask the same of you," she replied, looking away. She smoothed her hands over the bench, remembering.

This was the place where she pledged her undying love to Sasuke. The exact same place that she held him tight, begging him to stay, the place he left and swore never to look back.

She didn't want Lee to be part of this place.

"Uh, I was looking for you!" he cried with an all too famous grin.

"..."

"I... want to give you something!"

"Oh, really?" she said, mildly amused.

"Uh-huh," he pulled out whatever it was from behind his back and pushed it forward with a wide grin. "Open it! Open it! Open it!"

"Uh, Lee..." Sakura leaned back, away from the present. "It's not my birthday..."

"I know!"

This completely confused Sakura. Why in the world was he giving this to her, now?

"It's not going to be my birthday or anything for a long time..."

"I know! Open it!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the green-clad ninja in front of her. His grin was so wide, his eyes so intent on her...

With a sigh, she carefully pulled at the scarlet ribbon holding a soft, blue jewelry box together.

_Wait, what-?_

Against her better judgment, she flicked open the box, revealing a beautiful pink pendant, in the form of a cherry blossom. Made out of crystal that glimmered even though the sun was already down, it was definitely the most beautiful necklace Sakura had ever seen.

And certainly the most expensive.

"Wow, " she breathed, unsure of what to say. "Wow." Sakura looked up at his wide grin. "Lee- I mean, how much did this cost? It looks as though it's worth a fortune..."

Lee beamed, proud that he had obviously made a excellent choice. "Money does not matter, it has already all paid off!" Lee took the box away from her and carefully removed the necklace, unclasping it. He reached forward, leaning towards Sakura to clasp it around her neck.

Sakura didn't resist, but she did stiffen underneath his touch. Lee, however, was completely oblivious to this, and was beaming brightly as he pulled away from her.

She gently handled the necklace, looking down at it. "You... really didn't have to."

"But I wanted to!" He proclaimed, looking at her with wide-eyed innocence. "It felt like a good day to get you something, with the sun being so bright and cheery this morning! I- I had to! "

Sakura couldn't help but laugh- for what reasons Lee did not know, but it cheered him up nonetheless. With another bright smile, Lee announced his thoughts; "No matter what is to come of the necklace, it is already completely worth the price I paid, just to hear you laugh again and enjoy your wondrous smile!"

Sakura looked down and clutched the pendant tightly in her palm. Why was Lee so infatuated with her? Why would he constantly do things... like this... when obviously she didn't feel the same way?

"Would you like me to escort you home?" Lee asked with a brilliant smile and a very much expected thumbs-up.

Sakura smiled softly. "Thank you Lee, but I'm going to stay here for a while longer," Lee opened his mouth to speak, but Sakura silenced him with one finger. "I need to be by myself for a bit."

Rock Lee looked dubious for a bit, but then relented. "Yes, Sakura. I understand." After a moment of consideration, he added, "Be careful. This is the only road leading into Konoha, and the only way out.

"I know." She said softly, her eyes fixated on the ground.

Lee lingered at the site for a minute longer, not entirely sure of what to do. Finally, with one last "be safe," he leaped off into the distance.

Sakura clutched the pendant tightly until her hand started to bleed from the sharp edges.

Ever since her team had been pretty much disbanded, she would come here every night, to the blue and white bench, just to wait for one of them to return. To see Sasuke, silently coming back with the news that Itachi was dead, or even Naruto bounding back, blabbering about how much jutsu he had learned.

But that wasn't possible, at least for a very, very, very long time. But still she would wait...

She had wanted this place to stay the same, filled with the same thoughts of Sasuke and Naruto's leaving... but as people changed, apparently places must too.

She let go of the necklace and stood up to leave, reluctant to go. At least now, the place had a happy memory attached to it.

_-/-/-/-_

Lee sneaked into his house. Not like he was hiding from anything, but just because it could be good practice for future missions. Slipping quietly into his room, he placed his jar back onto the side table. A few coins jingled in the jar, definitely not enough for what he was planning to get her for her birthday coming up in a few months- not even enough for the lunch he was planning with Neji and Tenten. Not enough for anything.

Lee smiled to himself. It did not matter, the look on Sakura's face was completely worth it. He would go on other missions, he would get more money. But what was life if you didn't bring smiles to the people you loved?

He crawled into bed and turned out his lamp. He said a silent prayer, hoping that Sakura had made it home unharmed, AND that she was comfortable under the covers.

With a contented sigh, he ended his day with his traditional nighttime thought-

_Goodnight, my Cherry Blossom. _


	2. Shed

Oh dear. :( Didn't I say this was coming out May 17th? And what is today? Ugh. I don't want to think about it... I think I'm adopting the quote, "I love deadlines. I especially love the sound they make as they fly by. " ...Or something like that ::)

Hopefully, this fic meets your expectations, especially after the long wait. Hehe...

A special shout-out to **Taryn Streambattle, **who has reviewed _every single one _of my stories! You are amazing!

**LOC-** regarding your review (I would reply normally, but ...)... I actually completely agree. :) Sakura isn't one my favorite characters... but I can't get over the pairing :D

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto... heh. :D

Enjoy-

* * *

**Shed**

It was only about seven feet tall and seven feet wide, but it still seemed to loom above her like a giant. With a sigh, Sakura ran her hand through her hair, not at all ready to undertake the difficult task ahead of her.

_Don't be stupid, it's just a garden shed, _she reminded herself. _And if I want to go to the festival tomorrow... _she shook her head. Her father, unsatisfied with the amount of work she did around the house, had told her that she had to have the shed cleared out and swept in order to go to the festival on Saturday. Normally, a week would have been more than enough time to clean it out, but Sakura hadn't been too keen on cleaning it and before she knew it, the week turned into Friday morning faster than she would have liked.

Armed with a broom and a trash bag, she reached out to open the door. It wasn't locked, and should have been relatively easy to open... except for the fact that it was stuck on God knows what. Sakura set down her tools and tugged on the door with both of her hands, trying to force it open. After finally realizing that no, it wasn't, she leveled her chakra, ready to punch down the door. Keeping the shed door intact was _not _one of her father's guidelines. Besides, when did someone get the chance to beat a door to smithereens without anyone caring?

With a meaningless yell, Sakura flew at the door, knocking it to splinters. She smiled to herself, satisfied that she could now actually walk in. She leaned down and picked up the pieces of wood that were leftover, stacking them to the side of the shed. Her father would want to use them for his next wood project, whatever that would be.

She grabbed her tools and peeked into the shed. There was a serious lack of light inside the dumpy building, with shreds of sunlight pouring down out of small holes blown out of the ceiling, giving it an eerie feel. _If the sun doesn't start to come out I'll need a flashlight..._

She stepped forward, looking at the farthest wall. It seemed to have some sort of disgusting green mold growing on it. _That's so nasty, _she thought to herself, stepping into a flimsy cardboard box. There was a sickening crunch, and large black cockroaches began to swarm out of their destroyed home, crawling up her leg and scattering among the other boxes. She shrieked in distress, shaking her foot off frantically as she hopped backwards, only to trip over yet another box and bang her shoulder painfully on a shelf filled with paint cans.

"Ew ew ew!" she squealed, shrinking against the wall as the bugs disappeared behind other miscellaneous boxes and tools. She let out a sigh and rubbed her throbbing shoulder. At this rate, nothing would get done.

Five minutes later found her scrubbing underneath the paint shelf. She had stacked all thirty-five cans of paint outside already, and was just starting on the layer of muck that had made it's way underneath the abandoned cans. Her father would include that in the "sweep it all out" section.

She was definitely allergic to it, or, at least, she was allergic to _something _in the shed- she kept sneezing and coughing, not to mention the hives. She assumed it was the muck, but who knew what else had made its way into the shed over the years.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!"

With a surprised little "eep", Sakura banged her head on the empty shelf.

"...Sakura?"

"Wait a minute, Ino," Sakura shouted in return, wincing as she rubbed her head.

"Everything okay in there?"

"What do you think?" Sakura shot back. She made her way outside, squinting her eyes at the sudden light. She directed her gaze to Ino.

"Ew. Your mom wasn't kidding when she said you where actually working."

Sakura could detect a note of insult in Ino's tone, but she ignored it. "Well, it's more than you would do."

Ino rolled her eyes but didn't argue back. "Well, I _would _help- no, really, I would- but I decided to take my day off to teach Hinata how to _really_ shop."

"Have fun," Sakura muttered.

"I came to ask you if you wanted to come, but apparently you're too busy."

Sakura sighed and glanced back at the shed. Well... if she made it back by lunch, she could probably work a bit later into the night if she had to... it wasn't a big deal.

She flashed Ino a smile. "Too busy? I don't think so." She walked past her best enemy. "Let me get changed, then I'll join you two. "

-/-/-/-

Rock Lee was running down the streets of Konohagakure with reckless abandon. Not that he was in a hurry, but surely it would help him get to his destination faster- whatever his destination was.

He turned the corner leading off of one of the main roadways. Gai-sensei was going to the Land of- well, he had refused to tell his team that. But it was no matter- Gai had given the team a day off from their extensive training over the past month to spend time with their families. Lee had agreed to this Most Youthful Idea immediately. After all, they had all been training so hard for the past month they practically lived on the training field. It was most certainly an excellent idea.

Tenten had invited him to her place for the day, but he declined- the Power of Youth compelled him to take a run around Konoha and see it from a new perspective, a challenge he was most willing to take.

Up ahead, he could see Sakura and Ino exiting from a dull, pink townhome. "Oi! Sakura-chan!" he broke out into a sprint, heading for his beloved.

Lee couldn't place the look that spread across Sakura's face, but he could tell she was most definitely lacking the Power of Youth.

"Hello, Lee-san."

A grin grew on Lee's face. "What are you doing here?" he asked, unsure of what to say now that she had greeted him.

"We're going shopping with Hinata-chan," Ino chimed in. "I just came to pick up Sakura."

Lee wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion. "This is your house, Sakura-chan?"

"We-"

"I would not expect you to live anywhere finer! What a lovely shade of pink, though not nearly as vibrant as yourself! The plants give it such a Youthful feel, and it is so airy!"

Lee was greeted by a shocked silence from the two kunoichi. "Uh, thanks Lee?" Sakura managed.

"What ever for? I am only stating the facts!"

"...That's nice. Uh.." Sakura glanced at the sky, then back at Lee. "We really need to go, I need to be back at lunch to finish cleaning up the back shed-"

"Oohh! Do you have a greenhouse?"

"... No, Lee-san."

"Ah! I know! A tool shed!"

"Storage, Lee."

"How Youthful!"

"Not...really..." Sakura said, giving Lee another look he couldn't place.

"Well, I am sure it is really handy at times."

"I guess so. Not like I would know, I only clean it out," she said with what sounded like resent.

"Oh. I am sorry."

"It's not your fault," she said, looking beyond him to something else. "Well, we'll catch you later..."

"Yes! I will see you later!" Lee said as the two kunoichi passed him. "Have fun shopping!"

Ino turned around and waved back at him, but they continued forward.

Lee turned to look back at Sakura's house. He knew this was his destination now! Sometimes, to see with new eyes you had to approach the world as a servant- and that's what he would do! He would help Sakura's family clean out their shed.

He nodded, pleased with the idea. Considering that he hadn't cleaned out anything extensive in a long time, this would be good practice, as well as helping him reconnect to the simpler tasks in life. Gai-sensei would be so proud!

Taking a deep breath, as though breathing in courage, Lee stepped up to the front door and knocked on it. He waited a long moment before hearing a woman's voice call, "Come on in!"

Lee hesitated, but opened the door. He didn't see anyone in sight, but took off his shoes and ventured in. "Hello...?

A middle-aged woman with blonde hair emerged from the kitchen. "Hey there! You must be one of Sakura's friends!"

"Uh, ye-"

"You just missed her, she went shopping. But you're welcome to stay, dear. I got some lemonade ready and a house full of work that needs to be done!"

Lee straightened his back. "Yes, that is exactly why I came here- I wish to help with the shed."

"Oh, that old thing. Well, if you want to, but it's pretty disgusting out there," she warned, heading back into the kitchen. "I'll bring you out a glass of lemonade in a minute, and I think Sakura brought out all the tools already..."

Lee followed the woman into the kitchen, which was almost completely torn apart. Half of it was painted blue, the other half was still white. Sheets covered up the stove and other appliances, and paint was splattered across everything.

"...And you're welcome to come in here anytime, it's definitely cooler in here," she said with a laugh. "You can head out the back door, that's out this way, and call me if you need any help."

Lee nodded. Sakura's mother was so courteous- but then of course, he had not expected anything less!

He got his shoes and raced outside, eager to start on the shed as soon as possible.

It certainly was a bigger job than he had expected, the shed filled to the brim with boxes and boxes of, well... junk. Sharp tools in one corner, what looked like a stack of paper in another... there was only about a half a foot cleared off to one of the sides, where he assumed all the paint cans stacked outside came from.

What a challenge! He would be sure to meet it! If he did not have the shed cleared and sweeped out by the time Sakura returned home, he would do five-hundred push ups! And if he could not do five-hundred push ups, he would do seven-hundred sit-ups!

Eager to start, Lee entered the shed.

_Hmmm, where to start first? _He wondered to himself, looking about. _Well, it looks as though Sakura started by the paint shelf, so that is where I shall begin as well. _

He headed over to the small, clear space with the broom in hand. After a moment of careful consideration, he put down the broom and started carrying the boxes out, two by two. He stacked them neatly outside of the shed. _After I clean out the back corner, _he planned, _I will put all the unlabeled boxes there. And when I finish that, I shall place all the paint back in front of them._

Pleased with his short-term plan, he got to work- moving, sweeping and cleaning- until he managed to clear out the back left corner of the shed, revealing a patch of cherry blossoms growing from underneath the grunge.

He frowned. This would not do. How could he crush the beautiful pink plant, after it had fought so hard to grow in such restraining circumstances?

A spark of brilliance struck him, and he made his way over the the other side of the shed, where a bunch of pots rested together on a metal shelf. All of them were cracked up and scuffed in one way or another, but it was no matter. He could always buy a different pot later, once he earned some more money.

Carefully, he pulled out the less-scuffed up of the bunch- a sandy-colored pot- and brought it outside. He dug his hand into the ground, pulling out dry, hard dirt. He dumped it into the pot and went back into the shed, where he- as gently as the Power of Youth would allow- dug up what he could of the cherry blossoms and carefully planted them into the pot.

He admired his work for a brief minute. He had saved the cherry blossoms while yet continuing to make progress in the shed! And now, the blossoms would make such a lovely present for Sakura! He placed the plant outside of the shed, where it would be safe from any falling objects or other dangers that may befall it, but in the sunlight so it could continue to grow. He re-entered the shed and got straight back to work. He had already spent enough time with the plant. Ah, well, it was for the best- Sakura would be so pleased!

He worked for another good hour, cleaning out nearly the entire shed before he ran into... it. At least, he wasn't sure whether it was a he or a she, but he certainly did not want to continue referring to it as an it. That was so degrading! Ah, he would call it Yuri!

Yuri was a small black spider that had built a home between two boxes in the shed- a nice, little spider web with lots of ... well, Lee would rather not think about that.

This was certainly a dilemma. He couldn't leave the spider in here- he had to clean out the shed, after all- but he definitely couldn't let the small, delicate creature out into the open yard-Yuri would surely be eaten!

Lee hesitated for a minute before an idea struck him. He would take Yuri, place him with the cherry blossoms, and then figure out what to do with Yuri later.

Satisfied with his idea, Lee carefully took a stick, gathered the brave spider, and placed him onto the Sakura plant.

_All better!_ Lee thought with enthusiasm as he watched Yuri get ready to make a new web.

Lee glanced around the shed again. It must be nearing noon, and there was still lots of work to be done- there was no time for dilly-dallying!

-/-/-/-

"Absolutely hideous, Hinata-chan," Ino was saying, "I would never be caught in public with you if you wore _that_."

"B-but it's practical," Hinata stammerd.

Sakura let out a small sigh as she pawed through the clothing racks at her favorite store. This same argument had occurred at least three times already, but not in a angry sense. In fact, Hinata seemed to be enjoying the shopping trip, even if she was completely fashion-dead.

They had been shopping for hours- Ino and Sakura had at least two dozen bags between them from various clothing and make-up stores. Hinata had only one, containing a "practical" jacket from the most boring store ever. That was nothing from an entire day of shopping.

_Entire day? No, it should only be- _Sakura quickly glanced up at the red clock on a wall. 3:20

_Dang it. _

Sakura pushed herself away from the clothing rack faster then she intended, nearly tripping on her own feet. "Ino!"

The two others looked away from their argument and shifted towards Sakura. "What, was there a spider in there?" Ino asked sarcastically.

"I really got to go. Way too late- you'll have to finish this without me."

Ino put her hands on her hips. "Really, did you call me just for that?"

"Forget it!" Sakura said with a eye roll as she collected her bags and ran out the door.

-/-/-/-

Lee dragged the last box back into place. There! Al- well, not quite finished. It was all swept out and re-arranged, but there was still mold on the walls and roof, junk hanging from the ceiling, and all together falling apart. At least it_ looked _decent.

Lee reached behind a row of boxes to grab the broom and felt a sharp twinge of pain. He let out a gasp and withdrew his hand to find a rat clinging onto his hand by its sharp teeth.

"Oh, hey there buddy!" Lee soothed, unsure of what to do. Shaking off the rodent would be very rude, not to mention painful. And he most definitely couldn't leave it on- it would interfere with his work! "How did you get in here without me seeing you? You sneaky little thing!" he said with a laugh. He must use this experience to hone his awareness skills!

Lee placed his hand back down where the rodent had bitten him, where- thank God- it let go and disappeared. Or, at least it seemed to disappear, Lee wasn't quite sure.

The aspiring ninja examined his hand. Blood leaked through his bandages, and dripped slowly onto the floor.

That wasn't good.

Holding in a sigh, Lee left the shed, picked up the cherry blossom plant, quickly checked on Yuri to make sure he was safe, grabbed his empty lemonade cup, and headed inside Sakura's town-home.

"How's it going?" her mother asked him once he stepped inside. "You've been out there a long time- Oh! what happened to your hand!"

"It is no big deal." Lee stated factually, placing his cup in the sink and setting down the sakura plant.

"Let me look at it- how'd that happen? It could get infected. "

"Yes, I suppose so," Lee said doubtfully, releasing his hand into the woman's care.

-_/-/-/-_

Sakura opened the door to her home with a forlorn sigh, not wanting to get back to work on the shed.

"Mom! I'm home!" she called, dumping her bags into her room.

Greeted by a unusual silence, Sakura raced into the kitchen. Her mother probably was outside, or too wrapped up in some cooking project to reply...

She started sneezing right away, and she couldn't stop. She stumbled, and grabbed the counter for support.

Blood. Blood on the counter.

She reeled back in confusion. "Mo-om!" She cried.

"Yes, dear?" her mother emerged from the bathroom, holding anesthetic and a cotton swab.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked in worried confusion.

"Oh, your friend got a nasty rat bite on his hand, that's all," her mother drawled with a smile.

_Naruto...?__  
_

"What's his name..." her mother mused, "Oh, Rock Lee."

"Oh."

"Such a charming boy."

"I guess." Sakura sneezed again. "Excuse me," she spluttered, racing for the bathroom.

She bumped- quite literally- into Rock Lee.

"Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed, his face brightening.

Ignoring the bump, but slightly embarrassed, Sakura pushed past him and grabbed the tissues off of the bathroom counter. With a loud wheeze, she blew the snot that was threatening to spill from her nostrils into the tissue.

"Sakura- are you alright?" Lee asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," she assured. "Just allergic to... something..."

She was ready to push her way out of the bathroom again, but instead stopped in her tracks as her face turned a bright red.

"Sakura-chan- what is it?"

"Um.." Lee blocking the doorway to the bathroom like a yeti sure didn't help any, not to mention it was tight quarters to begin with. "Can..."

"Oh! I am sorry!" Lee said. He quickly moved out of her way and saluted her as she quickly darted out of the bathroom and back into the kitchen.

"Mother!" she demanded. "What is Lee doing here?"

"He came to help with the shed, dear," said her mother, packing up her paint supplies. "Isn't he just a doll?"

_Damn. What destruction did he cause out there? _Sakura thought, infuriated. Really, it was sweet of him to try to help, but she didn't think Lee could be capable of "helping" anything.

With another sneeze, she raced out to the shed.

Swept up. That's all her father wanted her to do. But Lee had done almost more than that.

The floor was clear of extra dirt and rubble, all of it swept away. The boxes had been re-arranged and placed against the walls of the shed neatly.

Sakura steadied herself in the doorway. He had... all day.. been cleaning out the shed? Why? It was her shed and she didn't even want to clean it out!

She turned to go inside. She had to thank him- it was the least she could do.

The door slammed behind her and she slid into the kitchen, calling his name.

But when she saw _it_, she stopped in her tracks.

A spider, crawling up a cherry blossom plant. One that Tsunade had warned was one of the most dangerous, most poisonous- completely fatal if it's bite wasn't treated within the first few minutes.

Carefully, she grabbed the nearest thing nearby (a bowl filled with...ew. She didn't want to know) and prepared to squash the beastly little thing when she broke out in violent coughing and sneezing. The bowl clattered to the ground, the oatmeal sploshing all over the place. She could vaguely hear a cry of "Yuri! Sakura-chan!" and felt her mother banging on her back...

Rock Lee hovered about Sakura and her mother, unsure of what to do. He wanted to help, but by the looks of it, he had caused enough damage...

He heard Sakura mutter something about "poisonous" and "spider", but that was all he could make out from her coughing and wheezing.

"Wait- is Yuri poisoned?" Lee cried in distressed agony.

"No-" Sakura heaved over with another coughing spell.

"No, dear," Sakura's mother said, "I think Yuri _is_ poisonous."

"Oh," Lee sighed, very much relieved. He glanced over to Yuri. Apparently, letting him come in the house wasn't the best of ideas.

After what seemed like ages for Lee, the only sign of Sakura's allergic reaction was her red face and heavy breathing.

"Is Sakura-chan alright?" he asked, wringing his hands in worry.

Her mother flashed him a quick smile. "She'll be fine." Her eyes shifted to the sakura plant, or (more directly), the spider. "I guess we learned two very important lessons today- one, Sakura is apparently allergic to cherry blossoms. "

Lee's eyes, if possible, opened even more. "I am so sorry!"

"Not your fault, dear," the older woman said, with a hint of laughter in her voice. "The irony, really..." she helped Sakura to her feet, who was now blushing violently. "Two..."

Sakura and Lee waited for her response. "Well?" Sakura pressured.

Her mother frowned. "I forgot."

Lee's boisterous laugh overtook any other noise in the townhouse, silencing Sakura and her mother. Sensing that nobody else found this funny, Lee quickly cut himself off.

"So**...** what are we doing with it?" Sakura ventured.

Lee gawked, heavily offended. "'It' has a name! Yuri!"

"Oh, excuse me," she said, completely exasperated. "What are we going to do with _Yuri?_"

Lee grinned mischievously. "I am sure that Shino-kun can do something with him." Lee picked up the plant carefully, trying to keep it away from Sakura. "I should head home now," he suggested. After all, he seemed to have caused too much damage already...

The eldest's face dropped. "Aw, if you're really sure..." she left her daughter's side and poured another glass of lemonade. "Take this with you. And the plant, if you want- Yuri seems quite attached to it**.**"

Lee balanced the plant in his left hand and the cool glass of lemonade in the other. "Thank you, Haruno-san. I shall see you later, Sakura. I hope I did not overstay my visit."

"No, not at all, dear," the mother chatted on, "We'd love to have you over for dinner some time!"

"Mo-om!" Sakura hissed. Lee, fortunately, didn't seem to hear her protest. Sakura went around the other side of the counter, noticing the blood dripped on it once again.

Her eyes flashed towards Lee's bitten hand, and back to the blood he had shed on the counter...

_Lee..._she thought, _You're always getting hurt for me... _She toke a paper towel and started to gently wipe away at it.

Rock Lee pulled open the door painstakingly, juggling his things in his hands, his rat bite still stinging him. "Oh no!" he cried, almost dropping the sakura plant as an urgent thought struck him.

Sakura groaned inside. Would he _ever_ leave? "What is it _now,_Lee?"

"I forgot to name the rat!"


End file.
